Music Honors: Giving Shine To The Best New Act Noms.

A Closer Look At The 2019 Central Track Music Honors’ Best New Act Nominees, Which Include The Three Most-Nominated Acts On Our Ballot.

With voting now open (and running through February 13!) in our first-ever Central Track Music Honors, we wanted to again acknowledge that we understand how approaching our ballot of 51 separate categories can feel like a bit of a task for those who aren’t paid to watch the scene as closely as we are. To that end, we’ve decided to dedicate some space on our site during this open voting period to breaking down some of our categories’ nominees a little more deeply. This below post aims to do just that. Don’t like what you see and hear? That’s cool, too! You can also write in your own top honors choices for each categories. The important thing, we think, is that you just pay a little mind to some of the amazing art that’s being created in this town — and that you express your appreciation for those talents with your votes. You can do just that — up to five times total, but only once per 24 hours — right here. Now, it’s time for the breakdown!

This category is all about that new new.

The names included here belong to a crop of fresh-faced acts that made immediate splashes into the scene straight from the jump. That’s not a hue surprise, though; as we’ve been discovering more and more of late, being younger and/or boasting less experience than folks in some of the other categories doesn’t necessarily mean shit.

Really: These acts aren’t just here because they’re new; they’re also among the brightest outfits in town. Those aren’t empty words, either, as every single one of the nominees in this category is also up for at least one other award. Three of them also happen to be up for more honors than anyone.

In other words? Move over old guard. These are the names you should familiarize yourself with if you want to stay on top of the Dallas music scene for year to come. Just remember: After you’ve properly acquainted yourself with the new class, go vote for your favorites.

Cody Lynn Boyd

This throwback folkie is up for four categories in our Music Honors — including Best Songwriter, Best Solo Artist, Best Folk/Americana Act and, well, this one. The young Fort Worthian has had the ’60s look and sound dialed in for years now, and long before finishing work on his debut LP, which still hasn’t yet dropped despite years of Boyd popping up on bills around the region. The wait’s apparently due to the fact that the dude’s a perfectionist, which isn’t too shocking a reveal given the great care he takes in crafting his songs. The few singles he’s released to date are all immaculately written and arranged, and his music videos are so on point. When that LP finally comes, you can bet your ass we’ll be listening.

SadFaceThuggin

The young trap rapper, who undoubtedly owes some aesthetic thanks to Post Malone, is up for two categories in this year’s Music Honos, earning a nod in this category and in the Best EP category for his Sad Face EP. And, already, the young rapper is getting all sorts of radio play and racking up heavy streaming numbers. That all started, of course, when Beats 1’s influential DJ Zane Lowe played “Fuck Luv” (read: the first single from his first-ever project) for international audiences on his show last year. Since that impressive debut, the rapper has begun to find his own voice — he’s about to drop his third project already — in part because, unlike the acts to which he’s so frequently compared, he actually raps.

The Bralettes

In addition to this category, this exciting trio is also up for Top Honors in our Best Emo Act category. Those nominations come hot on the heels of the group releasing its first-ever full-length, which was produced by its fellow Best New Artist nominee Ian Salazar. From surf to lo-fi and emo to sludge, this promising young outfit’s got range for days. A cool perspective, too: Over simple arrangements, the girls shed light relatable strifes (read: waiting by the phone for a boy to call, dudes that just wanna fuck, dudes that are scary/creepers, etc.) and have a blast doing so — which goes a long way toward explaining the group’s fast ascent from opening act to headliner over the course of these last 12 months.

Xuan

The infectious pop musician is up for a whopping six nominations in this year’s Music Honors, including Best Songwriter, Best Album (Have Some Fun), Best Song (“Big Blue Ocean”), Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Act along with this one. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we’ve already written about Xuan over the course of this nominee-highlighting series we’ve been publishing. To that end, for more info on Xuan, go check out the blurb we penned on her in this Best Song nominees breakdown.

Mr. Breakfast

In addition to this nomination, these strapping young synth-pop lads from Denton also scored a nod in the Best Album category for their Glass Dome LP. For more info on the band, check out the blurb we already wrote about them in our Best Album nominees breakout.

Luna Luna

The Oak Cliff indie rockers are up for a cool five categories in these Honors, with nods in the Best EP (For Lovers Only), Best Song (“Fro”), Best Group and Best Indie Rock Act categories to go alongside this one. For more info on Luna Luna, check out the blurb we gave the band in the Best Song nominees breakout.

Ian Salazar

Salazar is, almost certainly, associated with more nominations this year than any other entity. As a solo artist, he’s up for six categories, including nominations in the Best Song (“Virginia”), Best Solo Artist, Best Bassist, Best Producer (Non Hip-Hop) and Best Songwriter category, along with this Best New Act nod. And that’s before mentioning that his band Acid Carousel is up for another three awards, or taking into consideration the several other nominated acts that he either produced or contributed to as a session musician. For more info on Ian Salazar, check out the blurb we penned for him in our rundown of the Best Song nominees.

Cory Graves is the Associate Editor at Central Track. He enjoys not only writing about Dallas and its local music scene, but being a part of it as a member of the band Vandoliers. Courtney Love once referred to him onstage as “my fucking therapist,” which he immediately put on his resume.